Fed: Blueprint by mid year on mental health - Howard =5

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2006
Fed: Blueprint by mid year on mental health - Howard =5

NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the meeting was held in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill,
and significant agreement was reached on a renewed national effort for economic reform.

He said in the area of mental health there was at long last hope for the mentally ill
and their families, with a commitment to develop a new national action plan within the
next three months.

"In the area of health we have made significant progress on tackling some of the blockages
in our health system," he said.

That includes a plan to establish a national call centre linking various services in
a bid to ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.

"These are significant agreements that will in the long term provide for sustained
improvement in the quality of services in our hospitals as well as out in the community,"

he said.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks said this day would go down as the day premiers grasped
economic reform to boost national productivity.

"It's the day where we set the agenda for a new national reform agenda," he said.

"There is relentless competition internationally.

"That is not going to stop. We need to be more competitive, use the capacity of our
people and to make sure they are better trained, better skilled, healthier, fitter and
also to have those inducements and encouragement to remain in the workforce for a long
time."

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KEYWORD: COAG HOWARD 5 CANBERRA

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